Funeral planned for man who disappeared

Mother says body found by hunters in burned-out truck is that of her son

Times Union

Staff report

Updated 2:56 pm, Saturday, November 24, 2012

Ryan Patton (Rensselaer County sheriff's department photo)

Ryan Patton (Rensselaer County sheriff's department photo)

Ryan Patton, right, with his father, mother and brother at an Easter celebration this year. "Even though he was a big, burly kind of guy, he was so compassionate. He had huge soft spots," said brother Eric Patton, 31, who appears on the left. (Courtesy the Patton family)

NASSAU — Ryan Patton's mother will remember her son as a fun, family-loving outdoorsman with a soft spot for campy old zombie films.

It is memories such as these that have given her the strength to carry on since Patton was reported missing and then, on Tuesday, what are believed to be his remains were discovered in the burned-out shell of his truck on a logging road off Hayes Road.

"This is every parent's worst nightmare," said Marie Patton, 60. "Every minute to the next, you just don't know how you're going to handle it."

Police had been investigating Patton's disappearance since Nov. 12. He was last seen at 10:45 p.m., driving away from the Lakeview on Crystal Lake restaurant in Averill Park in his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

Patton's parents later reported him missing, and on Nov. 17 dozens of friends and relatives flocked to the area from around the state to assist in a search mission. A State Police helicopter also conducted aerial searches of the Sand Lake area, but turned up nothing.

His mother said that on Tuesday his body was found in his truck, which somehow caught on fire after crashing into some rocks. She surmised that he was likely out four-wheeling at the time, a frequent pastime.

State Police have yet to confirm that Patton's body was the one found inside the truck.

Investigators said the truck was damaged from a serious accident and was extensively burned. It was found by hunters, authorities said.

Patton, a youthful-looking young man with clear blue eyes, had worked as a roofer at Phelps Brothers Roofing of Nassau for the past nine years. He often took up side projects to keep busy, a whiz at anything he could do with his hands – as a teenager, he purchased a 1953 Chevy truck for a few hundred dollars and completely rebuilt it. It was his first car.

His greatest passion, though, was the outdoors: friends and family described him as a passionate nature lover, who lived for fishing, hiking, boating, four-wheeling and any other outdoor activity.

"He loved Burden Lake so much," Marie Patton said, who often took him camping in his youth. "He loved walking in the woods and riding backroads."

His mother said he was close to his family — his mother, father, brother and a large extended family that includes 31 first cousins.

"He was such a devoted friend and son," she said. "He would really do anything for anybody."

His funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Henry's Church in Averill Park. Calling hours are 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at the church.

"We just want everybody to remember him and how fun he was," said Marie Patton. "We're missing him so much."